it's all spiritual

IT'S ALL SPIRITUAL!

are you feeling irritated? it's a spirit of irritation trying to attach itself to you.

are you feeling hopeless about any area in your life? it's the enemy lying to you.

are you feeling scared? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

we've got to figure out that everything is spiritual. we know the plans that God has for us: plans to prosper us and not to harm us; to give us a hope and a future. anything that doesn't line up with those plans is from the enemy.

ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T LINE UP WITH THE WILL OF GOD IS FROM THE enemy.

here's the analogy that i felt like the Lord gave me yesterday: pick a sport you're familiar with, for me it was football. the offense comes to the line of scrimmage and the quarterback surveys the defense. he looks at what personnel they have on the field and where guys are lined up. he knows because of experience what they are likely to do based on personnel and alignment. he then can change the play based on the strategy of the defense (enemy) to his advantage. i purposely used us as the offense because we're supposed to be on offense but if you want to switch it up it works the same way: if the defense knows the plays that the offense is going to run, the offense will not have a very good day.

here's the great thing: we know the strategies of the enemy! we just have to be able to recognize them in the moment. like i said above: if you're feeling fearful = strategy of the enemy; worried = strategy of the enemy; helpless/hopeless = strategy of the enemy; prideful = strategy of the enemy. NOT FROM GOD = FROM THE ENEMY

teams always spend time watching film of themselves and their opponents in order to prepare for their next game. here's my encouragement/challenge for today: ask the Holy Spirit to guide you back over the "film" of your life. ask Him to reveal the spots where you've encountered great victory or where you've been defeated and show you the strategy of the enemy and how you overcame it or what to look for so you won't be overcome again. the devil will use whatever works to jack you up. if it's the same thing that has always worked, he'll keep using it until it doesn't work anymore.

through the power of the Holy Spirit (the same power that conquered the grave) let's recognize the strategies and defeat the enemy. 1 john 3:8 says: for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Jesus is our model - everything He did, we can do and how He lived [fully filled] is our goal: therefore we are to destroy the works of the devil. what are the works of the devil? anything contrary to the will of God.

peace.